Distinct Roles of m5C RNA Methyltransferase NSUN2 in Major Gynecologic Cancers

Bibliographic Details
Title: Distinct Roles of m5C RNA Methyltransferase NSUN2 in Major Gynecologic Cancers
Authors: Lingfang Wang, Jian Zhang, Yingfeng Su, Yasen Maimaitiyiming, Siqi Yang, Zhangjin Shen, Shitong Lin, Shizhen Shen, Guankai Zhan, Fenfen Wang, Chih-Hung Hsu, Xiaodong Cheng
Source: Frontiers in Oncology, Vol 12 (2022)
Publisher Information: Frontiers Media S.A., 2022.
Publication Year: 2022
Collection: LCC:Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Subject Terms: NSUN2, m5C, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, YBX1, Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens, RC254-282
More Details: RNA methylation has recently emerged as an important category of epigenetic modifications, which plays diverse physiopathological roles in various cancers. Recent studies have confirmed the presence of 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modification on mammalian mRNAs, mainly modified by NOP2/Sun RNA methyltransferase family member 2 (NSUN2), but little is known about the underlying functions of m5C. Gynecologic cancers are malignancies starting from women’s reproductive organs. The prevalence of gynecologic cancers leads to a massive economic burden and public health concern. In this study, we investigated the potential biological functions of NSUN2 in common gynecologic cancers including cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and endometrial cancer. Remarkably, distinct scenarios were found. The levels of NSUN2 did not show alteration in endometrial cancer, and in ovarian cancer, depletion of upregulated NSUN2 did not reduce carcinogenesis in cancer cells, suggesting that the upregulated NSUN2 might be an incidental effect. On the contrary, NSUN2 played a role in tumorigenesis of cervical cancer; depletion of upregulated NSUN2 notably inhibited migration and invasion of cancer cells, and only wild-type but not catalytically inactive NSUN2 rescued these malignant phenotypes of cancer cells. Mechanistically, NSUN2 promoted migration and invasion by leading to m5C methylation on keratin 13 (KRT13) transcripts, and methylated KRT13 transcripts would be recognized and stabilized by an m5C reader, Y-box binding protein 1 (YBX1). Collectively, these results not only displayed the nature of diversity among human malignancies, but also demonstrated a novel NSUN2-dependent m5C-YBX1-KRT13 oncogenic regulatory pathway.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2234-943X
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.786266/full; https://doaj.org/toc/2234-943X
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.786266
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/3b06e21bd1f74338bbdb03469d8e1c79
Accession Number: edsdoj.3b06e21bd1f74338bbdb03469d8e1c79
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:2234943X
DOI:10.3389/fonc.2022.786266
Published in:Frontiers in Oncology
Language:English